The Raven: Illustrated by Gustave Doré

One of Poe’s best known works, The Raven is noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven’s mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man’s slow descent into madness. The lover, often identified as a student, is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of Pallas, the raven seems to further distress the protagonist with its constant repetition of the word “Nevermore”. The poem makes use of folk, mythological, religious, and classical references. In 1884 Harper & Brothers published the poem with lavish woodcuts by Gustave Doré. The artist died before its publication.